The Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez has spoken out about John Terry's recent off-field troubles, saying that had such allegations been made against an Argentinian a player "would not survive".

"If you acted like this in Argentina you'd be dead," Tevez told the Sun. "It's complicated to say something about what Terry did to [Wayne] Bridge. I don't think you can do that with the wife of another player. It's wrong. In my opinion, Terry has no moral code for what he did to Bridge. In my neighbourhood if you do that, you lose your legs, or more – you don't survive."

But Tevez denied that his angry confrontation with Terry at Stamford Bridge last Saturday was a result of his support for his City team-mate. "I didn't fight with Terry because of that," he said. "I fought with him because he took me by the shirt and I didn't like it. I became furious with him because of that."

The striker, who played for Argentina against Germany in Munich last night, did however reserve some opprobrium for Chelsea's German international Michael Ballack. "I have always had problems with Ballack but, you know, it is just football, not personal issues between us," he said. "I don't know, maybe he doesn't like me, as I don't like him. On the field, I have never understood what he is saying to me but I am sure he didn't understand me either."